Social networks were accused of spreading misinformation about vaccines by the White House. Biden's administration is now mad at the media. They claim that the negative coverage of the Delta variant may be making people less likely to get vaccinated. CNN was told this by two officials from the Biden administration, who claimed that media outlets spend too much energy and time covering breakthrough infections that are still extremely rare.Officials are particularly frustrated by headlines that suggest that those who have been vaccinated are equally likely to spread COVID-19 than those who have not. This framing doesn't make it clear that those who have been vaccinated are much less likely to contract the coronavirus. They are not the ones responsible for most of the infections. One official said that the media coverage is not up to the moment. It was wildly exaggerated and, frankly, irresponsible in such a way as to increase vaccine hesitancy. Unvaccinated people spreading the virus is the biggest problem.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt is completely irresponsible.The CDC stated that only a very small amount of transmission occurs in the United States.Almost all deaths and hospitalizations continue to occur among those who are not vaccinated.It is absurd to not place that in context. https://t.co/BbmSNvQlrb Ben Wakana (@benwakana46) July 30, 2021The frustration of the White House was made public on Friday, when a White House official publicly attacked the Washington Post on Twitter. Ben Wakana, part of the White House COVID-19 communication team, has publicly criticized the Washington Post's headline on a study that looked at a COVID-19 epidemic in Provincetown, Mass. The Post tweeted that three quarters of the infected people in a major Massachusetts covid-19 epidemic were vaccinated. Wakana responded: Completely irresponsible.AdvertisementLet's be honest. Let's be clear. If 10 people are vaccinated and walk into a room with COVID, 9 would leave the room. Nine of them. Ben Wakana (@benwakana46), July 30, 2021The frustration expressed by the White House with media coverage is not limited to the White House. Matthew Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters for America, sent out a series tweets describing the importance of framing breakthrough infections. Gertz tweeted that as vaccination rates rise, the number of cases in people who have been vaccinated NECESSARILY increases. Gertz stated that he believes these types of stories are written because journalists (much like myself) lack a solid grasp on statistical reasoning.Advertisement
